ROUND OR SQUARE PATCHES ?

[ghartung]

WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE USE ? IF ROUND HOW DO YOU CUT THEM FROM PILLOW TICKING? AND WHAT SIZE FOR A .45 CAL FLINT LOCK.

 

[Rebel]

Round or square, don't matter, they both shoot the same. I cut mine at the muzzle, so they come out the right size for the cal. i am shooting. Lube a strip of ticking and just place a section of it over the muzzle, place rd. ball on it and start it just below the muzzle. Cut off excess and ram it home. Perfectly centered ball, on a perfectly round patch.

 

[musketman]

I use octagon... :thumbsup:

I cut square patches and clip the corners off to make octagon ones...

Just to be different...

Many people cut round patches using a sharpen pipe as a homemade patch cutter, just fold a few layers of ticking and drive the punch through using a mallet, you can cut many patches in just a few minutes this way...

 

[Stumpkiller]

Round, 0.015" or 0.018" thick. Just large enough to surround the ball when cut flush with the top of the ball at the muzzle or ball block. Tear the cotton patching into 1-1/4" strips (for a .45) and carry a couple strips and a sharp knife.

 

Square (and compass). :what:

 

[Halftail]

Like Rebel said.I cut mine at the muzzle too.I buy mine by the half-yard then cut it to strips just a little wider than my muzzle.Lube these and have a good sharp knife and your all set. :redthumb:

 

[amccall]

Here is something about the square patch that I have found.
making square patches
I have a cutting board that I can cut hundreds of square patches quick. I then stack them and put them in a vise and soak them with moose milk. I let them soak over night then squeeze them with the vise to get the excess liquid out and keep them in a ziplock bag. :m2c:

 

[Rebel]

Good sight there He-Bear. Some useful inof. Thanks for posting it.

 

[cptleo1]

Good idea

 

[BambiSlayer]

All I use is square patches. I have tried all ways(cutting at muzzle,Round store bought,and square hand cut). All had the same result Chronoed the same and same POI. Square are easier to cut with common tools found in most homes/camps. :thumbsup: :m2c:

 

[iainofulva]

I use nothing but square patches. I think Stumpy was the feller that had posted elsewhere what size to cut 'em, so with a yard or so of pillow ticking for WalMart in hand, I proceeded to cut about 500 patches. I've since lost most of them. ::

As for storage, I stack them up and keep them in a plastic film cannister... no more or less PC that a ziplock baggie, but those little cannisters are 100% weather proof, the float and keep things nicely stacked. The cannisters also fit into my possibles bag and I always keep a spare can in my shooting box.

I like the idea of using a sharpened pipe and banging out round patches... However, I personally have neither the time nor patience to do that. If you or your SO has a cutting mat and a roller cutter (for such sewing applications as quilting), you can knock out a ton of square patches in no time at all, using a ruler and a long metal straight edge. Just be careful.. those cutters will take off an appendage.

Bonne chance.

Jon

 

[cayugad]

I tear my pillow tick into strips. Soak the strip in moosemilk then ring it out by hand, that way it is good an damp. After the powder dump, I put a few homemade wonder wads down on the charge and then the patch and ball.

I used to soak the patch strip then dry it on some window screen in the wood stove room, but after it was dry it just did not seem "slick" enough for me. So I went back to squeezing the moosemilk out by hand and loading.

I was shooting the flintlock today using 85 grains of Goex FFFg and the patches looked good enough to reuse...

 

[Zonie]

Ah shoots roundies. Ah cuts um wit a whole saw at Ah grond all o tha teeeth off of.
It maaks short work o that Wallmart piller tikkin an kranks out em patchss fastr thn Ah kin shoot um. :: ::
O'korse Ah kant shoot ma gun whan Ah'm at home a runnin ma tuuthles saw, so krankin um out fastr thn Ah kin shoot don't take much effert. :: ::

It do work wel tho.

 

I'll admit thet I'm purty "gullible" be'ns I'm blind.

Fer years my friends had me believe'n thet I shot "round groups" when use'n round patchs and "square groups" when use'n square patchs. :curse: :cry: :boohoo:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[doverdog]

I use round ones I cut from pillow ticking using the modified hole saw method. Wash the ticking and let it air dry to keep the wrinkles to a mimimum. Hit it lick with an iron if needed. I like the striped stuff since it is easier to keep the width the same when cutting strips. I like to cut my strips instead of ripping them, even though it takes longer. The ripped strips curl up on the edges and are a bigger pain to handle. Get a hole saw the size you need and a couple of hardwood blocks about 1/2 - 3/4" thick. Before modifying the hole saw, cut a hole in one of the blocks. This hole will be ever so slightly bigger than the diameter of the saw after the teeth are removed. This allows clearance without rubbing on the block. Grind off the teeth and bevel and sharpen the edge as sharp as you can get it. The bottom block and hold down block work better if you glue some coarse sandpaper to them, aiding in keeping the cloth strips from turning when being cut. Using this setup in a drill press, you can turn out factory grade patches quick as poop through a goose. I usually cut 6 or 7 thickness's at a time with no problem.

 

[rifleshooter2]

I have to agree with rebel. I have found no difference between round or square but cut mine at the muzzle just to avoid haveing different patches cut for different calibers plus they are always perfectly centered.
Andy

 

[Zonie]

"...I'll admit thet I'm purty "gullible" be'ns I'm blind...."

Hay RollinB, If you always load your pillow tickin patches with the stripes runnin side ta side, yer groups will never be hi or lo but mite be kinda wide frum side ta side.
Seems lik Ah heerd that somewhars. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :: :: :: :crackup:

Korse, ye heard 'bout tha guy back in tha 1800s who travled all over tha world? Every place he stopped he wood lisen to tha stories an belived ervery one of them.
When he got bac Home, he wrote a book we all has heerd of.
"Gullibles Travels" :: :: :: :: :: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

Sorry, it's been one of those days. ::

 

"...I'll admit thet I'm purty "gullible" be'ns I'm blind...."

Hay RollinB, If you always load your pillow tickin patches with the stripes runnin side ta side, yer groups will never be hi or lo but mite be kinda wide frum side ta side.
Seems lik Ah heerd that somewhars. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :: :: :: :crackup:

You guyz sure like tease'n tha "handilycapped" :cry: :boohoo:,..... well, maybe ol'rollinb will jest buy hisself one'a them ther "inliney" guns what shoots "saybows" and don't use nunna them antique stripee'd cloth patchs.

I'll bet them "inliney" guns'er better fer "sound shots" anyway,.... and I'll jest put my "my one good ear" up to the scope fer "loooooooong" shots!!

Eat yore hearts out, you heartless teasers!!.... blind ol'rollinb has "seen tha light"!! :blah: :crackup: :crackup:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[JesseJames]

What size hole saws for what size cal? How about some longer pc. of board and put more holes in it screw together go right down like assembly line.

 

[doverdog]

I don't have any type of list for each caliber. I just measured one of the patches I had been using and bought a hole saw of a just slightly larger size, to allow for the removal of the teeth. I think the long board and clamps would be more trouble than it's worth. It would be harder to maneuver and waste a lot of time clamping and unclamping. Hand pressure with the single hole block works well. The bottom board is held in the press vise and only the hold down block is moved. If you are looking to save a little time, buy a deep well hole saw. That way, you won't have to stop as often to dig the patches out of the cylinder of the saw. :m2c: